Two Turkish journalists were released a few hours after they were arrested today by the German police, and the arrest was strongly condemned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey, reports Anadolia.
This morning, the German police raided the premises of the “Sabah” newspaper, for the European area, located in Frankfurt, arresting Ismail Erel, the representative of this media for Germany, and the news director, Cemil Albay.
As confirmed by sources close to this newspaper, searches were also carried out in the apartments of Ismail Erel and Cemil Albay, and their computers and phones were confiscated.
Fatih Zingal, a lawyer representing the newspaper, said that the two journalists were arrested based on a report by followers of the terrorist organization FETO.
“The German authorities could have invited journalists and asked them questions about this complaint. Instead, they arrested them and confiscated their cell phones and laptops,” said the lawyer.
Zingal pointed out that Erel and Albay are professional journalists and that their arrest for journalistic work is completely unacceptable.
The arrests drew condemnation from local journalists’ associations, and the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the German ambassador to Ankara, Jurgen Schulz, and demanded the journalists’ immediate release.
“Today’s unjustified detention of the Frankfurt office of the Sabah newspaper by the German police is an act of harassment and intimidation of the Turkish media. We strongly condemn this heinous act. “Germany, which is trying to lecture the world about media freedom and freedom of expression, reveals its approach of double standards,” the Turkish ministry said in a statement.
The Turkish-language newspaper “Sabah” widely followed the activities of the terrorist organization FETO, which orchestrated the failed coup attempt in Turkiye on July 15, 2016. That media house received many threats from FETO terrorists.
The German government’s tolerance of FETO and its reluctance to hand over key suspects to Turkish authorities, including former generals, bureaucrats or prosecutors involved in the 2016 coup plot, has been a major source of tension between Berlin and Ankara in recent years.
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